The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) has launched an accreditation scheme ServiceMark aimed at raising the bar in customer service. It’s a fine sentiment, but will customers be served better, just because there is a plaque on the wall?
The scheme is built around companies assessing their own customer service levels and demonstrating improvements as a result of the audit. The process involves an external audit and customer satisfaction measurement.
The accreditation process appears to be comprehensive and rigorous. Applicants are audited on a range of factors - corporate culture, staff training and business processes.
There are many good things about this scheme, but a corresponding number of drawbacks too. Drawing attention to good customer service is never a bad thing and demonstrating its relationship with other areas of the business is a sensible approach to something so fundamental to commercial success.
However, I have a couple of reservations about this move:
- Like many other well-meaning internal excellence projects, such as Investors in People, the temptation is there to make the effort while the audit is being done and then slide back into bad habits once the accreditation is achieved.
- Even if a company sticks to its pledges, there’s also a danger that the new processes are set in stone and no further action is taken to improve customer service subsequently.
- Most importantly, having an accreditation scheme suggests there are universal truths by which all customer service can be measured. This can’t be the case. One style of customer service for a street-corner car mechanic won’t fit the bill for an international investment bank.
At the end of the day, I can’t fault the ICS for implementing this scheme. Anything that addresses the deplorable state of customer service in this country deserves to succeed, as long as this accreditation carries the rider that this is only the start of a long journey, not the finish-line.
(Pic: Josh Parrish cc2.0)
